Pierre Gonon Saint Joseph Les Oliviers Blanc 2018 Bottle (75cl)
The 2018 Saint-Joseph Les Oliviers Blanc from Domaine Pierre Gonon is a Rhône Valley white wine made from 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. The Wine Advocate awards it 92-95/100, recommending a drinking window of 2020 to 2028, while James Suckling rates it 92-93/100. Critics describe an ample, creamy white with notes of ripe fruit, honey, and citrus, whose freshness balances its rich palate.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Loose
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- White
- Pays
- France
- Région
- Rhone
- Appellation
- Saint Joseph
- Producteur / Domaine
- Domaine Pierre Gonon
- Cuvée
- Les Oliviers
- Millésime
- 2018
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne
Domaine Pierre Gonon
Domaine Pierre Gonon is a family-run estate based in Mauves, in the Ardèche, within the historic Saint-Joseph appellation. Jean and Pierre Gonon cultivate around 10 hectares of vines there, mainly on granite-rich hillsides situated around Mauves, Tournon-sur-Rhône and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. The vineyard, managed using organic farming methods, consists mainly of Syrah, as well as plots of Marsanne and Roussanne.
- Owner
- Jean et Pierre Gonon
- Maître de chais
- Jean et Pierre Gonon
- Surface (ha)
- 10.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 38 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The Gonon family comes from a farming background where vineyards once stood alongside fruit orchards. In the mid-20th century, Pierre Gonon, father of Jean and Pierre, gradually rebuilt the family vineyard by purchasing and leasing plots on the slopes of Mauves. Amidst difficult times for local winegrowers in the post-war period, he chose to bottle his own wines. The estate’s first label dates from 1964. His sons, first Pierre and then Jean, joined him on the estate, before taking over the business in the late 1980s. They subsequently expanded the vineyard through acquisitions and replanting, whilst retaining a highly fragmented layout of plots across the communes of Mauves, Tournon-sur-Rhône and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. The winery was refurbished in the early 2000s. Organic farming has been practised since 2004 and the vineyard has been certified since 2011. Jean and Pierre Gonon continue to jointly manage the estate and oversee the winemaking process.
Les Oliviers
Les Oliviers is the single-parcel white Saint-Joseph from Domaine Pierre Gonon, originating from the eponymous lieu-dit. Crafted from Marsanne supplemented with Roussanne, it is aged in barrels and demi-muids on fine lees. This cuvée differs from the estate's blended red Saint-Joseph by its single-parcel origin and its white color.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The name comes from the lieu-dit Les Oliviers, located on the terraces above Tournon-sur-Rhône.
- Style of the cuvée
- Ample and deep white Saint-Joseph, characterized by yellow fruits, honeyed and spicy nuances, with mineral freshness and bitterness balancing its richness. It generally possesses a significant aging potential.
- Position within the range
- The benchmark single-parcel white wine of the estate, alongside the red Saint-Joseph.
Histoire de la cuvée
Pierre Gonon the elder planted a selection of Marsanne originating from Hermitage on Les Oliviers in the 1950s, followed by a small plot of Roussanne in 1974. He was already producing a white wine identified by this lieu-dit before the estate was taken over by his sons Pierre and Jean in 1989. The exact initial commercial release year under the "Les Oliviers" label is not documented by the sources consulted.
